For those of you like me who jump over the Pacific to Asia from San Francisco, Cathay Pacific has added a second daily flight to Hong Kong and a direct flight to Guangzhou, China.

Other news from Cathay is that in May they embarked on a project to upgrade seating on their fleets aircraft.

The new refitting economy class will offer seats that recline in a less evasive manner than the present ones, newly designed head rests, individual TV monitors and an overall improved entertainment system. While business class will offer lay flat seating. http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_US/whatonboard/previewthenewseats

On crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh City:

Walk slowly; the traffic will pass around you as you walk across the street. Ya, sure, if it's not one of the 400,000 plus automobiles now registered in the Ho Chi Minh City or one of those mega buses that ply the city, or a jumbo tractor-trailer hauling containers that are all out there on the city streets in modern Saigon. So the walk slowly strategy is old news - run, jump, or do what ever it takes to get out of the way of traffic as you cross the streets. However, as your doing that just try like hell not to jump in front of or run into one of the 3 million motor bikes buzzing around the city streets.

Four years ago I wrote "The motor bike way" and then their were very few taxi's and it was rare to see personal automobiles, no city buses (or very few) and just a smattering of trucks but it's all together different now. Back then I wrote, "Crossing the street was like swimming through a spool of fish, as you move into the mass they just slide by". Now days instead of sliding by, if you're not careful they'll roll right over the top of you. It's especially dangerous at night, when those two headlights you tried to step between turned out to be a Hummer.

So when you read in the guidebooks about not worrying when you cross the street just walk slowly, ignore it and worry a lot as you plan you crossing well before you step off that curb. Your curbside plan should should have you avoiding car, truck and bus confrontations and insight as to your track to the otherside.

If it looks, to scary walk on and look for another spot to cross at. Look for a traffic signal controlled intersection, but remember even if you do find one, pay attention when you cross and worry some more. Vietnamese don't always stop for lights and right and left turns on red seems to be OK. Oh and driving down the wrong way on a one way as long as it is by the curb seems OK also, so always look both directions before you step off that curb even on one way streets.

So ya made some new friends in Ho Chi Minh City or your into international prank calls but calling just ain't worken. You get funny bleeps, maybe a cryptic Vietnamese message or your call gets bounced back to the US to hear "your call didn't go through, try again". You know this can't be "rocket science" so it's making you crazy.

Your right making calls to Vietnam or any international call isn't "rocket science" but with out the prefix codes it may as well be cause you ain't going no where with them.

For example calling a land line in Saigon - first you dial the code of the country your dialing from, GB 00, USA 011, Japan 010, Australia 0011, Then Vietnam's country code 84 - city or area code (HCMCity) 08 -all topped off by the phone number.

For a cell phone the city code is part of the phone number. Do as above, your country code + 84 (Vietnam's) drop the first 0 of the number and key the number in. For example my cell number is 0977469552, to call me from the USA, dial 011(USA country code) 84(Vietnam country code) drop the 0 and dial the number 977469552. 011-84-977469552

Now if your totally confused, need country codes or just have more time than money, - http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/dialing.html?p2=218 .

On the 15 th, only a little over a week away, I'm back to the states again. Not sure if I should be excited, sad, happy or what. I've developed the same love hate relationship with Vietnam as I have with the US. However, I didn't know my relationship with the US was like this until I spent a lot time in Vietnam. My guess is this feeling is much like what a man with a wife and lover might have. The lover gives him a escape but then he misses the belonging that goes with the marriage. So he floats back and forth as I have been doing with Vietnam and the US over the past 6 years.

The good times in Ho Chi Minh City are great and then I am close to being run down by a motorbike, car, truck or a 40 passenger bus, seems that everyone with in a 100 meters of me what's something - "sir, you buy post card, book, wallet, my sister "(kidding just seeing if your still their) - "sir, where you go, motorbike" (with hand gestures of driving a motorbike in case I'm deaf) cyclo guy offering city tour, massage or his sister(again), nine people cut in front of me in the line at the bookstore, my tailor screws up my new shirts and when I complain, her reply "looks fine to me" as she gives me this smug look and my Vietnamese friends show up for dinner a couple hours late and give me a look "like what's your problem buddy" that's when I want my old life back.

Then the next day, I have no problems getting across the street, all the street vendors, motorbike and cyclo guys seem to vaporise or stop and just want to talk (one did), it rains and I have my umbrella, my Vietnamese friends came late but brought dinner with them, and best of all I couldn't get out the bar because my Vietnamese friends keep buying me beers.